PRINTER'S NO. 1869
No. 136 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY GOEBEL, STEWART, BITTINGER, POTT, FISCHER,
ZORD, DAVIES, HASKEL, WILSON AND TADDONIO, JULY 27, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JULY 28, 1977
In the House of Representatives, July 27, 1977
1 WHEREAS, The Johnstown Flood of July, 1977, has caused undue
2 hardship, loss of life, property and employment, necessitating
3 urgent reconstruction and rebuilding; and
4 WHEREAS, The severe damage caused to Johnstown and
5 surrounding areas was due in part to the collapse of the Laurel
6 Run Dam; and
7 WHEREAS, The Laurel Run Dam is owned by the Johnstown Water
8 Authority and subject to inspections by the Pennsylvania
9 Department of Environmental Resources; and
10 WHEREAS, It has been reported that the Army Corps of
11 Engineers has not fully implemented an act of Congress directing
12 the Corps to institute a national program of dam inspection; and
13 WHEREAS, It has been reported that hundreds of dams in
14 Pennsylvania are more than 50 years old and were constructed
15 when rainfall statistics were inadequate or unreliable; and
16 WHEREAS, It has been reported that the Department of
17 Environmental Resources has only two employees with inspection
1 responsibilities involving more than 2,000 dams; and
2 WHEREAS, Federal and State responsibilities for inspection
3 may have been inadequately carried out causing considerable
4 damage to the persons and property of the Commonwealth; and
5 WHEREAS, It is essential that dams and other flood control
6 projects be properly designed, constructed, maintained, repaired
7 and inspected in order to avoid the recurrence of similar
8 catastrophes; and
9 WHEREAS, The General Assembly is responsible for enacting
10 legislation to protect the lives, safety, welfare and property
11 of its citizens; therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives
13 direct the Committee on Conservation to investigate and make
14 recommendations to the General Assembly to assure adequate
15 maintenance, protection and safety of dams and other man made
16 flood control projects located in the Commonwealth which affect
17 the lives, safety and property of Pennsylvania citizens; and be
18 it further
19 RESOLVED, That the committee may hold hearings, take
20 testimony and make its investigations at such places as it deems
21 necessary; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That within 30 calendar days after the committee
23 has made its report, the chairman of the committee shall cause a
24 record of all expenses incurred by the committee, or the
25 members's thereof, which are payable at Commonwealth expense, to
26 be filed with the Speaker of the House and the Speaker shall
27 cause the same to be entered in the journal thereof. No expenses
28 incurred by the committee or any member thereof shall be
29 reimbursable by the Chief Clerk unless such expense shall first
30 have been included as an expense item in the record heretofore
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1 required; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That the committee shall report its findings,
3 together with its recommendations for appropriate legislation or
4 otherwise, to the General Assembly as soon as its study is
5 completed.
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